Journal of Studies in Science and Engineering

Application of Sustainable Architectural Design Principles to Enhance Ecotourism in Cross River State, Nigeria

Eugene Ehimatie Atamewan — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Architecture transcends all aspect of human endeavours including its relationship with place, culture, recreation, and nature/historic sites of a people which contributes to its tourism potentials. But ecotourism is sustainable enhances natural ecological attraction, their conservation and development through sustainable architectural planning frameworks. This paper aimed at exploring and enhancing the ecotourism potential of Agbokim and Kwa falls in Cross River State Nigeria as case studies through provision of attractive infrastructure and landscaping associated with architecture. The methodology of study used was qualitative case study method with the use of interviews, observations through visitation, and review of literature respectively. The analysis was carried out using inferential statistics in table for presentations. The study revealed that both Kwa falls and Agbakim waterfall sites in Cross River State, Nigeria was not fused with architecture, for development as attractive tourism and historic sites that can boost the tourism potential of any place. The study emphasized the need to develop and maintain these historic and nature-given sites using sustainable architectural design practices to enhance their ecotourism values/potentials that will attract millions of tourists to the sites and be recognized by World Tourism Organization (WTO) and UNESCO as tourist sites respectively.

Effects of Urban Green Space's Physical Features on the Usability of Investment Housing Projects in Erbil City

Siham Musheer Kareem, Hardi K. Abdullah — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

In the quest to improve urban quality of life, creating functional and visually appealing urban green spaces plays a pivotal role. This study investigates the influence of five key physical characteristics—availability, maintenance, facilities, environment, and design—on the usability of urban green spaces in three case studies in Erbil: Italian City 2, Hewa City, and Ashti City 2 neighborhoods. The research aims to understand how urban green spaces impact investment housing projects, analyze the relationship between physical factors and urban design usability and explore individuals' perceptions regarding the influence of these factors on urban green space design. Through systematic observation and visual analysis of residential areas, the study reveals that these five physical qualities of green spaces consistently scored above 90%, indicating a strong alignment with usability elements. This suggests that these physical attributes significantly enhance the usability of urban green spaces, which, in turn, supports broader urban design goals. This research highlights the importance of integrating these physical characteristics when planning and designing urban green spaces, particularly within the context of investment housing projects in Erbil's case study neighborhoods. Such enhancements can positively impact urban development and residents' quality of life. Future research should delve into the long-term socio-economic effects of these green space improvments.

Mitigating Time and Cost Overruns in Construction Projects: A Questionnaire Study on Integrating Earned Value Management and Risk Management

Ahmed Rasul Hussein, Sina Fard Moradinia — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

One of the persistent challenges in the construction industry is accurately estimating time and costs for civil engineering projects. Inadequate planning in these areas can lead to unexpected expenses and delays. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of Earned Value Management (EVM) and risk management on factors such as project schedule, project costs, and design defects. For this research, a questionnaire was designed and disseminated to subject matter experts in Iran. Geographically, the participation rates were 38.49% in East Azerbaijan, 31.65% in West Azerbaijan, and 26.86% in the Tehran Province. Data was analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software. Structural equation modeling results indicate that both risk management and Earned Value Management (EVM) have a positive influence on project time (0.53) and cost (0.60). The analysis suggests that the EVM system and risk management directly and positively affect project time management. Moreover, the information phase of the Evam system notably impacts project time and cost management, whereas the performance phase contributes to reducing design defects and enhancing project quality.

The Status Quo of Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Khulna and Its Future Prospective About Biomass Energy (Briquette)

Asma Ul Hosna — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

As many developing countries are moving towards increased sanitation coverage, Bangladesh has been striding successfully towards full sanitation coverage with the proper management of fecal sludge city-wide. Following the situation, Khulna City Corporation built a Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) with six units of CW (constructed wetlands) and six units of drying beds in 2017. The main objective of this study is to discuss the current situation of Khulna FSTP based on treatment efficiency and its future perspective on biomass energy (briquette). In Khulna FSTP, the collected fecal sludge from septic tanks and pits is treated, and finally, its effluent is discharged into the environment, satisfying the disposal standards. The removal efficiency of final effluent for Biochemical Oxygen Demands (BOD₅) and Total Solids was found to vary between 97.8% - 97% and 98% - 93% in the previous year to the present, respectively. Total Suspended Solis and Fecal Coliform never exceeded the allowable limit 100gm/L and 1000 N/100ml in final effluent. Furthermore, dried sludge is used as handmade processing biomass energy (briquette) without further treatment, which has some procedural problems such as loose compaction and pathogenic contamination.

Landslide Risk Assessment and Preventive Measures of Selected Locations in the Rangamati District, Bangladesh

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Detecting landslides and unstable slopes is one of the most crucial responsibilities in the emergency response to resist landslides. Having a wide range of hilly terrines in the southeast region of Bangladesh, the risk of landslide disasters is becoming a critical issue. In Chittagong, especially in the Rangamati hill tracts, there have been several losses of life and property due to landslides in the recent past. This research attempts to evaluate the landslide risk in Rangamati hill tracts and provide suggestions to mitigate the landslide hazard by modifying the hill slope. Soil specimens from different hill locations were collected from three areas in the Rangamati district. Several laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the soil properties, and 2D slope stability analysis using Bishop's simplified method was used to evaluate the landslide potential. Different preventative measures, for example, soil nailing, anchors, and cutting slopes like stairs, are also implemented to mitigate the landslide potential by increasing the slope stability was assessed and suggested. Weighted Overlay Model (W.O.M.) was implemented for the Landslide Susceptibility Analysis in ArcGIS to confirm the potential hazard in the study areas, and hazard maps were suggested based on the slope stability results and current slopes in Rangamati. The slope stability analysis of the three spots showed that spot 3 is the most vulnerable spot, which had a low factor of safety value. Even with different mitigation techniques, spot 3 showed a lower factor of safety value, which was verified with the Weighted Overlay Method. It was also seen that among the mitigation techniques, anchoring the slopes is the most effective one that drastically increases the factor of safety value.

Effects of Steel Springs on the Flexural Strength of Normal Concrete Beams: A Numerical and Experimental Study

Ilham Ibrahim Mohammed — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

In this research study, the possibility of deployment of steel spring utilization to reinforce a concrete beam is investigated and compared with steel bars; this is done to enhance the flexural strength of the structural concrete beam. For this purpose, three specimens are prepared: a plain concrete beam, a reinforced concrete beam, and a spring-reinforced concrete beam. A point bending test is dedicated to calculating the failure strength of each specimen. ABAQUS program is being used to simulate the three test specimens with the same properties as the experimental test samples to verify the results. The results of the numerical simulations for the flexural stress and the plastic strain of each model are collected and compared with the experimental tests. The results manifested a particularly good verification for the experimental tests, and the spring-reinforced concrete beam displayed an excellent flexural strength that exceeded the flexural strength of the reinforced concrete beam. This indicates that the spring-reinforced concrete beam, according to the properties of the spring, is a promising endeavor for use in the construction industry.

Analysis of Canal Blocking Distribution to Reduce Sabangau Tropical Peat Swamp Forest Fires

Petrisly Perkasa, Sulmin Gumiri, Wahyudi Wahyudi, Indrawan Permana — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0700

The vast tropical peat swamp forest in Sabangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, makes it difficult for officials to fight forest fires. Forest and tropical peatland fires are recurring events caused by anthropogenic activities around forests. This study aims to provide patterns of forest fires that have occurred over the past 11 years and produce predictive patterns for mitigation planning in 2023 and 2027. The method used is overlay, an analysis method carried out on several maps with mapping software. The results of this study show four factors cause forest fires, namely: The number of canals that penetrate the Sabangau Peat Forest Nature Laboratory of Palangka Raya University, the number of anthropogenic human activities, rainfall that is a small part of El Nino, and the limited ability of Peat Forest Nature Laboratory of Palangka Raya University area managers to maintain groundwater levels above (- 0.33 m). The overlap method stitches several theme maps together to create a new map. It is then geographically processed to describe various events and predictions of each causal factor.